Goose Island’s 312 gets new area code

Adam Gerik

Friday

Jul 29, 2011 at 12:01 AMJul 29, 2011 at 3:29 PM

I’m aghast. And worried. Chicago’s own Goose Island Beer Co. can easily be found flooding from most Peoria bars. Usually it’s 312 on tap – their wheat ale – but bottles of Honker’s, I.P.A., seasonal varieties and oatmeal stout (RIP) do make cameos. I’ve always found their brew to be pretty decent stuff (and priced [...]

I’m aghast. And worried.

Chicago’s own Goose Island Beer Co. can easily be found flooding from most Peoria bars. Usually it’s 312 on tap – their wheat ale – but bottles of Honker’s, I.P.A., seasonal varieties and oatmeal stout (RIP) do make cameos. I’ve always found their brew to be pretty decent stuff (and priced just right.)

I remember taking a tour of their Chicago plant a few years ago as part of a bachelor party weekend. Most of the dudes in our group were engineers, so there was plenty of geeking out as we climbed around the giant vats and debated the science of beer. We were given ample opportunity to sample no less than eight varieties on tap right there in the factory (which we did, over and over. And over.) It blew school field trips out of the water, although we may have received special treatment – a member of our group went to school with a Goose Island brewer.

Anheuser-Busch bought the company a few months ago. Many feared the worst, claiming that this would be the end of true craft brewing at Goose Island. But founder John Hall said to chill: “They didn’t buy us to change what we’re doing.”

But some changes were obviously in store, and that became fact today. The Chicago Tribune reports that 312 will soon move to upstate New York.

One clever commenter asked “Are they going to change the name to 212?”

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